Holiday Book Gifts For Her

December 2, 2013 9:00 AM

Photo Credit Thinkstock

Our friends at Simon & Schuster put together an excellent list of book gifts for the lady in your life: from the hipster, aspiring home chef, fashion focused, or book club leader, everyone on your list will be thrilled to open a box with one of these great reads.

The critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling feel-good book of 2013, The Rosie Project is a straight up romantic comedy. In search of the perfect match, socially challenged genetics professor Don Tillman designs The Wife Project, a questionnaire to find his perfect partner and soon realizes that the art of love is never a science. Fans of Nora Ephron’s movies or shows like The Big Bang Theory will cheer for Don and Rosie in this quirky, delightful debut novel.

Whether she’s a mega movie star or Midwestern mom of three, anybody can be fabulous and still keep on a budget! Style guru on What Not to Wear and co-host on The Chew, Clinton Kelly shares his best DIY tricks to decorate your home like a celebrity, throw a fantastic dinner party, eat like royalty, and dress to kill—without breaking the bank. Give this one to any of the crafty, thrifty, and penny saving fashionistas in your life.

With step-by-step guides on how to do just about everything in the kitchen and QR codes for detailed video instruction, Jessica Seinfeld empowers all “can’t” cooks and turn them into amazing “can” cooks. With recipe classics like Caesar salad, rice pilafs, pasta with clams, and Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings, this is the perfect book to give to any chef—whether she’s absolutely terrified or just a little anxious.

Based on the popular blog TheWayWeAte.Net, this book is a lavishly illustrated journey through America’s culinary traditions, with dozens of celebrity chefs’ own interpretations and twists on the moment. With anecdotes before each recipe and historically accurate table re-creations, home chefs can move through history meal after meal with the help of celebrity chefs like Marcus Samuelsson, Jacques Pepin, Melissa Clark, Daniel Boulud, and many, many more. The Tumblr-loving foodie on your list will delight when she opens this box.

If you know a Downton Abbey or cat-lover, your Christmas shopping stops here! In this hilarious parody, Chris Kelly puts a feline twist on the hit PBS show, bringing us the Grimalkin Family and its downstairs servants. This humorous book offers tips on How to Argue with Lord Grimalkin and Uninvited but Necessary Words from the Dowager Catness. Stick this book into stockings on Christmas Eve and watch the fur fly.

Shortlisted for this year’s Booker Prize, The Testament of Mary is a provocative portrait of Mary and a feat of imagination, depicting Mary as a solitary older woman still seeking to understand the birth of Christianity and the death of her son. The audiobook, read by Oscar-award winning actress Meryl Streep, is an absolute tour-de-force and a perfect way to enjoy Toíbín’s masterful work.

From the New York Times best selling author of The Secret, Rhonda Byrne’s The Hero reveals the epic journeys of the twelve most successful individuals in the world. From their journey, we can learn the inner qualities we need to achieve our dreams. Inspirational and full of wisdom, The Hero is a gift to give anyone in search of a sense of self, success, or happiness.

Fans of glossy magazines like Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar will appreciate critically acclaimed author Virginia Postrel’s original theory of glamour. In The Power of Glamour, she explains how this powerful cultural phenomenon shapes our lifestyle decisions, from where to live, what to buy to which careers to pursue. A gorgeous package with beautiful reproductions of iconic magazine spreads, this is stunning book makes a statement under any tree.

This list was curated by Simon & Schuster, a CBS Company. For more information on any of these books or audiobooks, please visit www.simonandschuster.com.